Zucchini Flowers

When my fiancé told my Memérè that zucchini flowers are served in fancy restaurants she nearly fell off her chair, laughing in disbelief. Gesturing to her giant zucchini patch she said in her gentle French Canadian lilt, "Well, I've got a gold mine then eh?".

That first batch of delicate flowers was hand picked and carefully packed into our carry-on for the trip back to Vancouver. Now it's an occasional treat that still reminds me of home.

We found some young blossoms at the West End Farmers Market and learned that the secret is to wrap them in paper to protect them and keep them fresh. We stuffed them with lemon and herb goat cheese (fancy piping bag = ziploc bag with a corner cut off). The batter is simple: flour, salt, and a carbonated liquid (we used what we had on hand, cider). Fried in oil and paired with a summery salad of asparagus, sautéed kale, avocado and shallots on butter lettuce.